Dormitories' infections: the last stretch

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎, with the 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of 17 standalone blocks in eight Purpose Built Dormitories (PBDs), which serve as quarantine facilities.

This means that all the migrant workers in the dormitories would be cleared by then, except for 28,000 workers still serving out their isolation period in the various quarantine facilities.

This last batch of workers come from dormitories with a relatively high prevalence of COVID-19, and will be subject to a final test before they complete their isolation periods.

Therefore, expect the daily case counts to be high for the coming two weeks, before tapering down thereafter.

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧.

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

Prof Dale Fisher describes the taskforce's approach to the COVID-19 infections in the dormitories as 'novel'.

The focus was on preventing deaths, rather than transmission. Such a strategy in taking care of the migrant workers was "very novel", he said.

By isolating those most at risk - including the older ones and those with conditions - it helped keep deaths low, despite the high living density in the dormitories.

This was despite there being no capacity to isolate all the migrant workers as was done for the community cases, said Professor Fisher, a senior infectious diseases consultant at the National University Hospital.

"Part of this is why we've seen over 48,000 cases now and 27 deaths. The (low mortality) is absolutely staggering. The rest of the world is going, 'How did you do that?'"